Cesar Perez: Increasing the Impact of Immunotherapy

Cesar Perez, Director of Drug Development at Lake Nona DDU of Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute, shared on LinkedIn:

“I became a doctor knowing it would allow me to have a real impact on others.

In observance of Cancer Immunotherapy Month, my hope for all patients facing a cancer diagnosis is a future where, even more than today, cancer can be confronted with not just hope but with new tangible, effective treatment options.

Read my article below to learn more and discover how together, with the Sarah Cannon Research Institute and Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute (FCS), we are advancing oncology care.

‘Comfort. Treat. Cure.’

This mantra is not just the guiding principle that I live by; it embodies a relentless pursuit to conquer cancer.

Today we have made significant strides in treatment and patient care, providing the highest level of support and comfort to those impacted by cancer along the way.

Comfort

My personal motivation for becoming a doctor was my inherent desire to impact change for people. I also love to be challenged; the ‘easy road’ never excited me.

The path into medicine and the potential to see new treatment options develop seemed like a natural fit.

The introduction of immunotherapy has been exciting. While chemotherapy and radiation had been the standard of care, immunotherapy offered a new path with fewer side effects and potentially longer results.

I was eager to accept the challenge and find a new option for my patients – one that could change the way their cancer treatment progressed.

It made me feel like this could be the solution to give patients what they needed most: hope.

When I started practicing oncology, I was captivated by the feeling that every word I said to patients mattered. From my early days as an intern, I still remember to this day, treating a patient who had lung cancer and was transferred into hospice.

I had grown close with him over the course of his treatment, sharing stories and a hot pizza with him when I could.

I was sad to see his journey reach hospice care. After he was transferred, the attending physician called me and told me that the patient was refusing to follow treatment plans unless I explicitly approved them.

Me? An intern? To him, it didn’t matter that I was not the lead doctor treating him. I was the one he grew to trust because I took the time to comfort him when he was scared, share in the normalcy of eating takeout pizza, and simply listen to his stories.

It was the first time I recognized the impact I could have by genuinely connecting with patients.

Today, I strive to be the comforting light in times of overwhelming uncertainty for my patients. While no one wants to be diagnosed with cancer, as doctors, we have the privilege of bringing comfort and, even at times, happiness to an enormously challenging situation. There’s no greater responsibility.

That’s why we should comfort, always.

Treat

As doctors, we have the opportunity to ‘be the bridge’ that connects patients to clinical trials and other personalized treatment plans.

While there are benefits to treating patients close to home, some of the more than 80% of patients treated in a community cancer center don’t have access to the treatment options needed due to the lack of resources available at local hospitals.

Sarah Cannon Research Institute’s (SCRI) extensive oncology network of more than 1,300 physicians in over 250 locations and across 24 states, including Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute (FCS), is working to address those disparities, connecting doctors and patients in both community hospitals and large hospital systems to new treatments, clinical trials, and novel therapies.

Immunotherapies are now part of our treatment toolbox, and by working together, SCRI and FCS have been able to bring those treatments across to more patients in Florida. Immunotherapies are being approved for the treatment of more cancers each year.

Their potential for treating ‘hard to cure’ cancers is exciting.

I’ve seen major success for patients and doctors alike when we foster a transparent and collaborative environment to create a treatment plan that is unique to the patient.

Incorporating Sarah Cannon Research Institute’s oncology network is especially helpful for offering patients best-in-class services and a wider variety of treatment options that work for them – including access to clinical trials investigating the latest advancements in cancer treatments.

It is only when research and providers work together that oncology treatment can excel for the patient.

Those treatment plans can include any combination of different dosages of medications, surgical intervention, and clinical trial enrollment.

Patients notice the extra effort and express their gratitude for building a treatment plan uniquely suited to them.

Having access to a network motivated by personalized and innovative treatment planning is especially important to those of us treating patients.

Cure

It’s a sad reality that not all cancer cases are found early enough to be curable.

The five-year survival rate for head and neck cancer is 68.5% though that number varies widely based on when the cancer is caught. In some cancers, such asbreast cancer, efforts to improve screening, diagnostics and treatments have drastically decreased the death rate by 42% from 1989 to 2021.

Proof that improvements are possible; however, when prevention and available screening methods for certain cancers aren’t completed regularly, and cancer is not diagnosed early, options for treatment can be limited.

Despite immunotherapy being used since the late 19th century, research in head and neck cancers has been lagging compared to other cancer focus areas. In the past 15 years there have only been four therapies approved for treating head and neck cancer.

While there have been amazing strides in other areas of oncology, there is a substantial need for research and new treatment development.

The tide is turning, and I am looking forward to the following advancements:

• For the past 30 years, we’ve been developing antibodies to fight cancer broadly. Now, we’re testing the effects of using very specific antibodies on head and neck cancer patients, as we presented at ASCO this year. This more targeted approach should yield better results for patients.
• Anti-Body Drug Conjugates (ADCs) are currently in development and already changing the paradigm of cancer treatment. Their precise ability to target cancerous cells from the inside without damaging any surrounding healthy cells is remarkable.
• Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, recently approved by the FDA for treating melanoma, are now being evaluated in clinical trials for head and neck cancers.
• HPV-directed therapeutic vaccines and fusion proteins have demonstrated promising clinical data, showing that we can effectively utilize various immune-based approaches against the disease.
• Researchers have been looking closely at the role of CAR-T in blood cancers. This is considered the largest advancement in curative therapies in years. Now, as scientists, we must take those learnings and explore how the success seen in blood cancers can also be achieved in solid tumor cancers.

These scientific advancements will help us advance toward a future where we, as physicians, offer hope where there once was none.

As we observe Cancer Immunotherapy Month, my hope for patients with head and neck cancer and all patients is a future where, even more than today, cancer can be confronted with not just hope but with new tangible, effective treatment options.

The ongoing developments in immunotherapy not only highlight the potential for significant breakthroughs but also underscore the importance of continued research and patient access to these innovations.

While cancer incidence rates have progressed, our understanding of cancer has progressed faster, and immunotherapy is a prime example of a novel treatment with the potential to revolutionize how we treat cancer.

By embracing these principles, we continue to strive toward a world where comprehensive care is the norm and that patients will have access to meaningful therapeutic solutions with real potential to improve patient outcomes and evolve standards of cancer care.

And that our future is one where we comfort, treat, and cure always.”

Source: Cesar Perez/LinkedIn